Official Art Blog of Artist Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR). Thoughts about art and the creative process, ideas to consider, and musings on life and how it connects to this artist's thought and work processes. See also her official Collaboration Initiative: http://ewr-everypaintingisasong.blogspot.com/

A little bit about "Deep Breaths" and its evolution and inspiration...

Life is often so busy and full of activities, people, chaos, and challenging work and situations, that we can forget to breathe... Or we frantically try to grab breaths on the run, on the road, and as an afterthought.

In this painting, I took my time, building it up layer by layer, adding cloth, plaster, paste, and paints atop each other. The layers required "breathing time," forcing me to slow down, savor life and art - and all the steps taken during this creation that spanned at least six months. As I modeled these figures, caught in their own pause (between acts, dances, meetings), my intent was to convey a sense of calm, a snapshot between life's adventures, even as I created a scene to invite you to consider and imagine possible storylines and relationships between the figures.

"Deep breaths, blessed air... The gift of life...carrying scents of Spring and sounds of birdsong and laughter."

I offer the following three original paintings as additional 'food for thought' for those of you interested in entering my Every Painting is a Song challenge for a chance to cross-promote, collaborate, and create something beyond your normal Muse and inspiration.

To view my additional featured exhibition paintings, please stop in and visit the show during the Opening Reception (14 May, 2-4 PM) and/or while it is on exhibit in the Bill White Room Gallery (pre-arrange your visit with Slayton House). Show Dates: 13 May-11 June 2016. Hope to see you at the Reception!

Note: I expect to post at least one more Every Painting is a Song(EPIAS) Blog article plus the online entry form by mid-June so you have all you need before the end-August deadline.

The Registration form will be available on14 May 2016 if not before...via Blog post.

Elaine Weiner-Reed

Solo Exhibition "Honoring the Journey...Revealing Layers"

Bernice Kish Bill White Room Gallery

Columbia, Maryland

Three Events in One:

Solo Exhibition

Gallery Talk

Creative
Collaboration

Every Painting is a Song…

Part 1 -

Following are the FIRST three original abstract expressive paintings that will be in Elaine Weiner-Reed's Solo Exhibition "Revealing Layers" and her Creative Collaboration " Every Painting is a Song " Challenge...

1. Elaine Weiner-Reed - "Ancestral Whispers III"

2. Elaine Weiner-Reed - "Curtain Call"

3. Elaine Weiner-Reed - "Static Electricity"

Use these paintings as food for thought, Creatives!

If inspired by one or more of these works,

start creating and writing now and get a head start!

You may enter more than once...

Part 2 -

Many of you have asked or been wondering "What's in it for ME?"

With how busy we are, we have probably all had that passing thought whether we want to or not.... It is human nature.

So after a lot of consideration, here is my multi-part response to "What's in it for you" if you participate in this creative collaboration/competition:

Answer:

1) Not only will all of us have fun and stretch our individual creative wings and open our minds as we virtually meet and collaborate with other creative souls, but 2) We will cross-promote each other's work, Websites, and Social Media sites to expand our networks and open doors to new opportunities and connections, and 3) YOU can win a prize!!!

FIRST PRIZE Winners for Each Painting will win a signed micro-batch limited edition print (on paper or canvas) of my Painting that inspired their winning Creative Entry !

How this works is: If your poems, songs, stories, screenplays, and/or musical pieces were inspired by "Ancestral Whispers III" (for instance) & you incorporated the titled into your entry,and you are selected as a Winner, your prize will be a signed limited edition print of "Ancestral Whispers III."

Runners-Up will be published in my Blog posts & we can together
brainstorm other co-publication/co-promotion opportunities.

I have always wondered: How would my painting "sound" to someone...

Now, I hope that you will tell and show me in your creative and unique way.

*******

The sky's the limit, so let's defy boundaries and gravity together ...and soar!

Part 3 -

Following is an example of someone's talent and how they interpreted one of my paintings from my Website. If this painting ends up being in my Solo Show "Revealing Layers," I may just have to let her enter her work... You decide once you read the viewer's entry (below).

Every Painting is a Song - A Sample Entry

MeetMeredith, a poet from Los Angeles…

Meredith chose to create a poem
based on my painting entitled “Doors and Secrets” that she
found on my Artist website.

Elaine Weiner-Reed -"Doors and Secrets"

Meredith could barely contain her enthusiasm. She said she just could not wait another month to enter! Plus, she did not want me to cancel if no one spoke up and told me that they were really, actively interested in participating in my initiative. [She had me there! To be honest, I admit that thought has crossed my mind, that I should cancel, that I must be crazy to do this.... I asked myself why was I doing this...and the answer is always the same: I just know that I must do it. I had the idea for a long time. Plus, I thought "it's my idea, so why not me?" and "why not right now?" So, here I am...doing it - whether I am ready or not! So, to Meredith and to all the others: I promise that I will not cancel! But I do request that you please, please enter and do not let me down with an empty email inbox at the end of August. Okay?Enter (often) and spread the word WIDELY!] So, back to Meredith. She said "call it 'shaking out the cobwebs'..." or "practice," but she said she simply had to dig in now... Meredith told me she was inspired by my piece and wrote the following poem in one sitting. She also told me she doesn't think she is finished with this painting yet... Isn't that exciting?! So, I am sending heartfelt thanks to Meredith and including her piece, below. I hope she enters the formal competition!

Waiting Becomes Them

Secrets...secrets... Doors and Secrets, Secrets and Doors... Doors to secrets and more...

Trapped ... Frozen in Time... Prisoners of their indecision (and to be honest, their fears). Tied to each other in some way...somehow. Connections in time. Secrets. Secret ties that bind.

Players frozen on that fateful stage. Masks in place. Is it a cage? Just waiting...evermore hoping for a clue, a script change, something that will point to which door leads to freedom. An eternity of indecision.

Trapped inside (or outside?) their technicolor doors... Silent secrets bind their tongues. They remain choreographed to a space in time beyond reach of the exit door, the door to freedom, deliverance...

And still, they wait... and wait... for the scene to play out, for the answer to appear, for the stage crew to arrive and begin to disassemble the doors ...and unravel the secrets ...and remove the staircases they know are unsafe for their weight... Masks in place. Frozen in time. Waiting for THE END. Secrets...secrets... doors and secrets, Secrets and Doors... Doors to secrets and secret floors...

- By Meredith

Note: I am very
pleased to share this with you....I have permission to cite my viewers by their first name and publish their
entry and questions and they have allowed me to share their words and ideas to
serve as samples for you of WHAT TO DO and WHAT NOT TO DO.

Where needed, I will provide amplifying
information in my replies to these fellow Creatives.

I will be
sharing competition-related information in the future Blog posts leading up
to the EVERY-PAINTING-IS-A-SONG Competition Launch on 14 May 2016.

Oh...and one last thing...Part 4 -

Several people have asked me: "What do YOU get out of this?Answer:
I become a winner with each entry. By doing this, I am becoming part of something bigger than myself, something beyond
my own borders and dimensions - a global Artistic Creative Movement and a wave that can expand without end and charge the world with its powerful, positive,
creative energy. That is my dream, and that is what I want to see and be a part of!

With each entry, you will make ME will feel like a winner, because I
will get to see my painting set to YOUR words or music -- to witness how my work has inspired or touched others....

It is exciting to imagine my work transformed into a whole other dimension through another person's creativity, life
filters, mind, and heart. That is the type of dialogue that Art can inspire and I want to be a part of that Creative Movement!

Do you...?

See you next time...when I will shareat least three more Paintings from my upcoming Solo Exhibition - giving you six paintings you will then have to leverage for your creative inspiration!